Advanced Memoir Workshop - Remote!

Class Description

A 10-week workshop for writers who are seriously engaged in writing a book-length memoir and want to improve their craft. We will focus on helping you find a unique angle, effective structure, and distinctive voice for your memoir. Each week we'll look at exemplary readings and discuss theme development, traditional vs non-traditional structures, characterization, scene vs. summary, time and pacing, narrative arc, outside research, and the real-world consequences and ethical considerations of writing and publishing true-to-life stories. Memoirists we'll study include, but are not limited to: Mary Karr, Sarah M. Broom, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Joan Wickersham, and Daniel Mendelsohn. You have three opportunities to workshop material from your memoir over the 10 weeks, and will receive feedback from both your classmates and the instructor. Equally important, each week you are expected to read and critique three of your fellow student's submissions. While new writing is encouraged, interested writers should also take this as an opportunity to revise and work through problems with an existing manuscript.

Important dates:

The application deadline has now passed. Applications submitted after May 24th will not be reviewed.

The payment deadline for admitted students is Monday, May 31st.

To apply, please click the red "SEE DIRECTIONS TO APPLY" button in the top right corner of this page. This application will ask you to detail your workshop experience. It will also ask you to upload a 5-10 page writing sample. Please make sure this writing sample is in Microsoft Word, double-spaced, and in 12-point font. For tracking purposes, your name should appear in the file name (e.g. Smith.Memoir Title.Submission). Decisions will be emailed to applicants approx. 1 week after the deadline. You can also track the status of your application in your Grubstreet profile. Please make sure your application is complete before you finally click "APPLY." If you have any technical difficulties filling out this application, please email [email protected]. You will receive a confirmation email once our system has received your submission.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.